MEMPHIS, Tenn. — LeMoyne-Owen College is reporting a 20% drop in enrollment this semester, and they believe the pandemic is to blame.
“We do know that students and their families have been very concerned about returning to college given the COVID situation and financial burden families have felt due to the pandemic,” said interim president Carol Johnson-Dean.
This time last year LeMoyne-Owen College had around 800 students. That number has dropped to 650 this Fall.
“There is a relationship between poverty levels for some students who are eligible for Pell grants and the enrollment declines,” Dean said.
Ninety percent of the students enrolled are eligible for federal grants based on their family’s income. That funding is not enough to fully cover tuition and fees. So, the jobs they would use to supplement are gone due to the pandemic.
“As their families struggle, they struggle as well,” Dean said. “As they lose summer jobs there’s a bigger financial burden on students and they have to reprioritize whether they should take a year off.”
It’s time taken to help their family but also time they may never get back.
“An interruption in their college experience for some students mean they will never come back and complete college, and they may have taken out loans and need to pay those loans back, but they need to have jobs to do that,” Dean said.
Which is why the staff is working on outreach efforts to emotionally support students and looking for additional funding to help students. Many of those students are the first in their family to attend college.
“We say LeMoyne is a place where the magic never stops, and we want to make sure for our students,” Dean said.
Classes this semester are virtual, but the college is looking at a hybrid option next semester.
